In Greece, like in most of the Europan countries, there is a distinction between ownership (possessio) and occupancy (usus). Greek citizens, citizens of EU member countries and citizens of countries that have relevant intergovernmental agreements with Greece, have the right to have whole ownership. For legal entities located in EU member countries, there are no restrictions. Accordingly, rights to property are of two kinds: whole ownership rights and occupancy rights. There can be occupancy rights to part of the property, in the case of co-ownership.

With the exception of certain locations defined as “frontier locations”, where a special permit is needed, occupancy rights in Greece are permitted to all citizens, regardless of nationality. Occupancy rights can be exclusive and fully personalized.

Occupancy rights to a property in Greece, according to the Greek law, include the following:
The occupancy rights holder enjoys most - and the most significant - of the rights of the owner, and the same level of protection by the law. He/She can exclusively use his/her property as he intents to, demarcate or peg the property, build new buildings or renovate existing ones, and be protected from any designs claimed by any third party, including the Greek Public Sector. He/She can personally make any kind of contract regarding the property, like the ones needed for the connections to water supply, electricity networks etc. He/She can freely transfer his/her rights to any third person, regardless of his/her/their nationality. The occupancy rights can even be dissociated from the ownership rights. This means that the occupancy rights holder is protected even against the property owner; this protection can be passed along in cases of property transfer.

In a nutshell, by obtaining occupancy rights to a property, anyone taking up residence in the property is fully protected by law.

The duration of these rights can be unlimited, if such provision is included in the purchase contract. After an extended period of residency in Greece, certain relevant tax rebates apply.